Seven Weird Things About Moi

The lovely Tracey Clark has tagged me for the "7 weird things about me" meme. I have to admit I really had to think about this one because I'm quite boring. I mean, yeah, I'm plenty WEIRD, but it's really BORING weird, not INTERESTING weird. Here's what I've come up with, at any rate. Oh, and I'm including seven weird photos as a bonus.

1. I grew up in a fundamentalist evangelical-wannabe cult called University Bible Fellowship. You can read more about that shenanigan here and here. That's probably the most profoundly and absolutely weirdest thing about me.

2. I have no tolerance for violence in movies or TV. It's not a MORAL thing. It's more like I-hit-the-floor-and-cover-my-head-lest-the bullets/demons/knives-fly-off-the- screen-right-at-me kind of thing. When we were kids, one of our favorite shows was Barnaby Jones. I used to run out of the room regularly during that show to avoid even the possibility of witnessing someone getting punched in the nose.

3. Growing up, my family subscribed religiously to Time Magazine. I read just about every issue almost cover to cover, BUT, and here's the weird part, I always started with the last page. To this day, if I happen to come across a copy of Time, I turn to the last page first. I think it must be my total lack of tolerance for any type of suspense.

4. I can't eat yellow bananas. They have to be at least slightly green, or I can't stand the taste. For this reason, numerous bananas are left to turn black in our home. Which is okay because then Ted makes banana bread which I really like.

5. I've been with the same company for 12 years. Apparently, this is considered weird by some of my peers. Fortunately, I really like the folks I work with, I LOVE my boss, and I'm treated really well there.

6. I can't read non-fiction without falling asleep unless it's about parenting, a memoir, biography or historical in nature. This posed a problem to my educational success, as most of the required reading (except for history and Englist Lit) would fall into the category of non-fiction that I just couldn't get through. I have no idea how I got through college, let alone grad school.

7. I have this thing about taking photos of people's shoes, especially when I'm at a rock show. It's not a fetish or anything, just one of my quirks.

Now it's time to tag some folks, so I tag the following and whoever else wants to join in:

Leigh (Mere Mortal)
Christina (Momology)
Maya (Laurent Files)
Amy Geekgrl (Crunch Domestic Goddess)
Paige (Look Away)

This happens to be a "Links Around the World" meme, so if you participate, add your blog link to the end of the list on your own post (I copied and pasted the code from the View Source to get all the links).

Link Addiction ~ Ardour of the Heart ~ When Life Becomes a Book ~ The Malaysian Life ~ Yogatta.com ~ What goes under the sun ~ Roshidan’s Cyber Station ~ Sasha says ~ Arts of Physics ~ And the legend lives ~ My View, My Life ~ A Simple Life ~ Juliana RW ~ Mom Knows Everything ~ Beth & Cory’s Mom ~ A Mind Forever Voyaging~ enjoying the ride ~ Jennifer’s thoughts ~ Mom of 3 Girls ~ Amanda ~ Don’t Make Me Get The Flying Monkeys ~ ExPat Mom ~ Just Jessie ~ Wilson Six ~Krisitn ~ Nuttier Than You ~ Shonnte ~ Summer’s Nook ~ Laura Williams Musings ~ Sher ~ Shanda ~ Seven QTPies ~ Mel ~ Skittles ~ Lady Banana ~ Momhood Moments ~ Business Mars ~ A Simple life ~ moms….. check nyo ~ Mommy’s Little Corner ~ Pampered ~ HappyHeart ~ Make Every Day Your Lucky Day ~ Thumbelina Creations ~ Ivonnardona's Creations ~ Jewellery Craft ~ A Bead a Day~ Useless Ramblings ~Candid Yammering ~ Green Eyed Mama ~ Mother May I ~ Shutterbug Mama

A Random Meme

Kim over at Diapers, Budgets and Paint has tagged me for the Eight Random Things About Me-Meme. I'm not sure I can claim that these things I will post are random from a statistical standpoint, but I'll try to keep it not too deliberately random.

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Rules:
Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they've been tagged.

1. Our family immigrated from Seoul 3 days before my 6th birthday. Before we moved, I got to be part of a big birthday party for all the May birthdays at the kindergarten that my grandpa was the director of. The teacher asked each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up. I don't think I had ever thought about this before, and said the first thing that came to my mind, "A nurse." Because at that time, I thought the only professions available to women were teaching and becoming a nurse. How sad...

2. I grew up in a fundamentalist quasi-evangelical cult named University Bible Fellowship. It sucked. ASS. Bigtime.

3. When I was in the 8th grade, I had a crush on a perpetually stoned heavy metal drummer in my class named Mario Kuehn. For about a month, I covered my red Trapper Keeper with names of heavy metal bands written in Liquid Paper. Back in 1986, 103.1 FM was a little suburban station that played hispanic programming by day and heavy metal by night, and I would listen in on my headphones secretly in my bedroom while doing my homework. If my parents knew I was listening to the devil's music, they would've totally taken me somewhere to get the demons out of me. To this day, I get a little nostalgic when I hear Motley Crue. Or Wilco's song Heavy Metal Drummer.

4. When I was in school, I had a talent for multiple-choice questions. Every year, we'd have these standardized tests that lasted a couple days. The entire student body would spend hours filling in endless little bubbles with their #2 pencils. I remember looking over questions I had absolutely no answer for, and concentrating really hard, trying to plug in to the collective knowledge of the universe, and I would feel for the right answer. I did so well on these tests that I really believed that I actually had access to all the right answers in the Universe. Ha ha. Boy, did I have a lot to learn. At least I learned a thing or two about intuition.

5. I attended Chicago Public Schools from 1st grade through graduating from high school, EXCEPT for my freshman year of high school when my dad moved us out to WHEATON, ILLINOIS, the Evangelical capital of the midwest. Oh. My. Lord. Wheaton Central High School was full of girls who sported the same haircut (curled bangs and triangular poofy bob), carried Gucci purses (the real thing, not like the knockoffs from Korea my relatives sent me) and wore Guess jeans. Plus, I was one of maybe 7 Asians in the entire school. I escaped to the city every weekend, and was relieved when my dad sold the house to move back to Chicago after a serious lawnmower accident almost severed his 3 main fingers on his right hand.

6. I was married once before. I was a little spring chicken, one semester away from graduating college, only 22 years old, when I married my first husband. I went straight from the dorms to married life. I had a serious identity crisis in my latter 20's, and by 30 I was divorced. I'm still friends with my ex and with his new wife, and I'm glad about that.

7. I like my bananas a little green. Ripe bananas make me want to gag for some reason. All the more reason for Ted to make his famous banana bread!

8. I believe in Narnia. Shut up. I really do.

Okay. This is where I tag people. I'm sure most people have already done this meme, but I'll tag Mamazilla and Miss Mia and my sis Orange Loren.

Three Questions

I'm playing the Three Questions game for the Brewmistress of Chicago, Leah of Lakeline. She's asked me three questions, which I will attempt to answer here. If you'd like to play, send me an email or leave me a comment, and I will ask YOU three questions. Don't worry. I'll make you look good.

1. Who are the coolest bands you've seen/spent time with?

Wow. And Leah told me she was gonna go easy on me. Okay, for the most part the bands I list will be bands I've only seen live, not actually hung out with. Don't want any of y'alls thinking I was like a Band Aid or anything.

Wilco. I saw them live for the first time at Bumbershoot Festival in September of 2002. It was a short set, but sweet (and in Seattle! Doubly sweet!). It's probably why I fell in love with a drummer (Glenn Kotche kicks ass forever!). Although Ted's not a heavy metal drummer (yet) except in his dreams. I saw them again when the band came out for the encore of Jeff Tweedy's solo show back in January of 2003. The band's gotten so popular that I don't even bother to go to their shows any more, but I did get one last taste in February of 2005, thanks to my beloved boys in the Detholz! who invited me to photograph their show in Urbana when they toured with Wilco.

The Detholz!. I love these boys. Like I said, they let me see WILCO for free. Plus, they will rock you ruthlessly while on stage, but they're totally sweet and cuddly backstage (esp. if you give them something alcoholic and share your cigs). If you live in Chicago and have never checked out a Detholz! show, you are seriously missing out. Plus, they're my favorite band to photograph. My previous camera had a serious crush on Jim Cooper, the frontman. Here are some of my favorite shows I photographed for therm:
@ The Metro, 5/29/2003
@ Cornerstone Festival's New Band Showcase, 7/5/2003
@ Subterranean, 11/21/2003
@ The Hideout, 8/23/2004

Ian Moore. I just posted about him a few days ago, so you know what I'm talking about. I met Ian when he played a show at Schubas back in July of 2002. I approached him after his set because he did a Mojave 3 cover (probably Yer Feet) and I wanted to share my love of Neil Halsted with him. This may not sound all that unusual except for the fact that I don't normally approach musicians or bands at shows. I just don't get into the whole groupie thing. With Ian, though, it turned into a really sweet friendship, so I'm glad I made an exception and bought him that shot of Bushmills. I have also seen Ian with his full band in all his Rock 'n' Roll glory in his almost hometown of Austin, TX. He is a rock star there, and it was kinda strange walking with him around town and having people come up to him and stuff.

Denison Witmer. I've been a fan of DeniWit's since 2001. He's the reason I started this whole blog thing. He may seem so mild mannered and sweet on stage or in recordings, but in "real" life, he's a raucous stand-up comic/storyteller. We used to stay in touch more back before he got uber popular with the college kids. He still has a really special place in my heart, and always will. I still love going to see him play, and just saw him a month ago. He'll be back in April with Rosie Thomas, another one of my faves, and I can't wait!

Death Cab For Cutie. One of my first indie rock shows ever. I cannot tell you how much I love Ben Gibbard's voice. I totally want to go see his solo show at the Metro in May, but Ted's playing a show that night too, and I don't know if I'll be able to make it. There are two shows that night, and the first one is already sold out, so by the time I make up my mind, the 2nd one will probably be sold out too. Yeah, I'm lame like that.

Guided by Voices. Drunken rock 'n' roll at its very best. I swear, I never saw beer and liquor flow so freely on stage before. I think the first thing Robert Pollard (the frontman) did was to lay down an entire case of beer onstage. I debated on going to this show back in May of 2002 because, well, it was like two days after my dad's funeral, but my friend Caleb convinced me to go. Good choice. You definitely get your money's worth with these guys. I was taking photos at the show, and some dude back stage who was either w/ security or the band, came out and told me to stop. But the bass player intervened and told him to leave me alone, so that was cool, and I ended up with these photos.

Anyhoo, I could go on and on about bands, but I'll stop now, or this will never get posted. I do have concert photos of some shows I've seen here: http://www.sarahjanerhee.com/concertphotos.html

2. What three baby things did you find were indispensable?

That would be my arms, my boobs, and my voice. As for versions of these things separate from my body, here they are:

My collection of baby carriers. From the simple ring sling, to my Ellaroo wrap, to Ted's Lexus of Baby Wraps, the Didymos, to our Babyhawk Mei Tai, we've used a variety of ways of giving ourselves "extra arms" while keeping Cadence close to us. They've helped us to put a fussy baby to sleep, given us no excuse for not doing the dishes, enabled us to give Cadence a running commentary of the world she was seeing, let us maneuver through crowds without getting dirty looks from People Who Hate Strollers At Crowded Festivals, kept Cadence in a secure, warm place close to our hearts. Babywearing has been one of the most practical and attachment conducisve things we could have done as parents.

Snack-Traps. "Because Kids Spill Things." These handy dandy contraptions make it easy for toddlers to feed themselves without creating too huge of a mess. It works great with time-tested toddler staples such as cheerios, raisins, peanut butter-filled pretzel nuggets, grapes, bunny crackers (organic version of goldfish), and any other bite sized morsels toddlers love to munch on throughout the day. This was a real lifesaver for long car trips. We really don't go anywhere without them. You can buy your own at Be By Baby (or Babies R Us).

Mix CDs. Specifically, there are two mix CDs that I've made for Cadence that get played on a daily basis. One is a collection of children's songs recorded by Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (the wife-husband team of Ida). This is the CD we play in the car. Occasionally, Cadence will put up with some WLUW or NPR, but usually, she's demanding "Sunshine Song! Sunshine Song!" (by which she's actually referring to This Little Light of Mine NOT You are My Sunshine). The other mix CD is a lullaby mix I made of songs by some of my favorite bands. Cadence asks for her "Sleepy Songs" every night before bed, and often for naptimes too. If you find yourself suffering from insomnia (or your kid does), here's the list of songs I used on the CD. You'll probably never make it past Track 6. Cadence seldom does.

1.I'm In Love With A Girl (Big Star--Radio City)
2.Promising (Wilco--Chelsea Walls Soundtrack)
3.Bird Stealing Bread (Iron & Wine--The Creek Drank The Cradle)
4.Love Songs On The Radio (Mojave 3--Ask Me Tomorrow)
5.Birds And Ships (Natalie Merchant--Mermaid Ave South Vol 1)
6.Songbird (Denison Witmer--Recovered)
7.Healing Time (Denison Witmer--River Bends EP)
8.By The Mark (Gillian Welch--Revival)
9.Dear Someone (Gillian Welch--Time The Revelator)
10.One Little Song (Gillian Welch--Soul Journey)
11.Mansion On The Hill (Bruce Springsteen--Nebraska)
12.Softly And Tenderly (Robert Sean Leonard--Chelsea Walls Soundtrack)
13.Nothing Is Over, Not Yet (Clem Snide--You Were A Diamond)
14.Ghost Of David (Damien Jurado--Ghost Of David)
15.Radiator (Ida--Will You Find Me)
16.Summer On The Westhill (Kings Of Convenience--Quiet Is The New Loud)
17.Yer Feet (Mojave 3--Out Of Tune)
18.High Hopes (Neil Halsted--Sleeping On Roads)
19.Place To Be (Nick Drake--Pink Moon)
20.Things Behind The Sun (Nick Drake--Pink Moon)
21.Brown Eyes (Red House Painters--Retrospective Disc 2)
22.October (Rosie Thomas--When We Were Small)
23.You And Me (Rosie Thomas--Only With Laughter Can You Win)
24.Someone Else's Song (Wilco--Being There Disc 2)

3. What is your favorite thing about nursing a toddler?

First of all, as much as I support extended breastfeeding, before anyone thinks I'm a nursing superhero or anything like that, let me admit that sometimes I DON'T like nursing a toddler at all. Most of the time, however, it's really one of the few relaxing things I can count on during the day (well, actually, it's usually at night). What I really like about the first nursing session when I come home from work is just how close I can be with Cadence. I can smell her hair, feel her body snuggled close to me, stroke her face, and think back to the not-too-distant past when she was actually small enough to cradle in my arms.

Lately, as I watch Cadence run around and do Little Kid things, I can look to the future and envision her as a Big Kid doing Big Kid things. It's scary and exciting and a little sad all at the same time. I want to cherish this stage of life when she still loves being in my arms and allows herself to depend on me in such an intimate, tender way.

Real Moms Meme

I've been tagged by the lovely and every-so-talented Tracey Clark for the awesome Real Moms Meme started by Kristen.

It took me a while to think of something to fill in the "Real Moms _________." Mainly, because so many people have already taken my potential answers. So after a few hours of pondering and a couple of google searches cuz I hates being redundant, here's what I'm going with:

Real Moms Need Each Other.

And by each other, I mean other Real Moms.

There are so many experiences that are universal to motherhood, especially First Time Motherhood. You can read about pregnancy and birth and newborn care and parenting until you're blue in the face (or zonked out from boredom), but until you actually talk to another mom who's Been There Done That and Lived to Tell About It, there's a part of you that won't believe any of it. The phrase shouldn't be It Takes A Village To Raise A Child. It should be It Takes A Village of Real Moms To Keep A Mom From Crossing Over The Brink Of Insanity--So That She Can Raise A Child.

Sadly, we in Western culture don't live in villages anymore. Those of us in big cities don't even have the advantage of the town gossip who at least lets everyone else know what your troubles are. If it weren't for the internet, many of us wouldn't have even ONE other mom to relate to.

But the need to connect is still there. Real Moms Need Each Other. So many of us parent with guilt and insecurities and feel like failures. We need to hear that it's normal to not like your kid occasionally. We need to hear that it's okay if your kid won't eat anything but cheerios today (and tomorrow and the day after that). We need to hear that it's okay to have that cocktail/beer/vodka. We need to hear that we're not failures because we couldn't give birth naturally/breastfeed/cloth diaper/get our babies to sleep through the night/wean/potty train/learn their ABCs. We need to hear that we are not alone, and we need to hear it from other Real Moms.

I'm tagging all y'all mamas, many of you who've been there for me, keeping me real.